Many media entertainment systems, such as IP-based, cable, or satellite television networks, broadcast media content over hundreds of channels. Many of these entertainment systems provide electronic program guides (EPGs) that allow users to browse and in some instances, interactively select, programs in which they are interested. With hundreds of channels available, finding a particular program of interest can be a daunting task.
Many EPGs are interactive and designed to simultaneously provide minimal information (e.g., a title and scheduled broadcast time) for many programs and more detailed information (e.g., plot summary, rating, video clip, etc.) for a single, currently indicated program. Providing a video clip via a small picture-in-picture (PIP) window along with the EPG data provides the viewer with additional information associated with a currently indicated program.
However, while a user is interacting with an EPG, depending on how the user navigates the EPG, a currently indicated program may not be of interest to the user. For example, a user may successively page down to quickly scroll through the EPG, reading through a vertical list of programs currently scheduled for broadcast. In this scenario, presenting a video clip associated with the currently indicated program may not be useful to the user.